Way up a holler between a couple of prominent knobs, below Panther (pronounced "Painter") Knob, we're building a log cabin. Go to the archives and start at the bottom for a chronological story. Comments are welcome! This diary of a project may digress and venture into literature, life, and my reflections on any particular day.

I think the black locust posts are going straight into the ground, tamped in with dirt, instead of concrete. There's an old frame house deep down in the holler that was built around 1905 -- it's on locust in earth. No sign of rot or infestation (it did have a massive honeybee hive in the walls before Matthew restored it). Builder friends, any thoughts to the contrary?

Conversation with my visiting nephew:

Q: "you found a building made in 1905?"

Response: "Yes Jonathan -- lots of old farmhouses and cabins around here date back to around the turn of the century. Those built on strong, rot-resistant locust posts are often in great shape. Locust is a very hard wood that insects don't like to eat. It is often used in fence posts.

But when I lived in Charleston, near where you and your mom and dad live, I lived in a house that was built before 1800! It was built from stone and brick."